Which should I buy? R51 vs. T42

[vk60402]

Hello all,

I'm new here so I hope I posted my question in the right forum.

Presently I have Thinkpad R40 (P4M-1.8, 20G, 256DDR ram) at home for home use and T23 for work.

R40 seems to be well built (not as sturdy but T23, but still solid), however, I don't like the fact that the speakers on the R40 are about half as powerfull as the T23 speakers.

I'm in the market for a new laptop, and would like to get most bang for my buck. Ideally, I'd like to spend less than $1500 for a new laptop with a 3 year warranty.

Question #1 - does IBM warranty cover screen? Say if a screen were to go out on me, would IBM replace it free? How about if I had a dark spot at the bottom? Any info would be appreciated?

Question #2 - If I don't mind bulkier design of the notebook (actually, I like to have 14.1" screen, not more) will R51 be as good as T42/T43?

Question #3 - How are the speakers on T42/T43 compared to R51/R52?

Question #4 - I hope I won't offend anyone here, but how is Dell Latitude D810 compared to R51 notebook? I know that Dell's are not as sturdy as thinkpads, but how is their business class notebook compared to R51?

Thanks in advance,

VK

[mattfromomaha]

1. Yes, somewhat. If the panel or backlight or whatever fails, it is covered, but not if you cause the damage. Unless you get the accidental damage protection, which is not a bad idea.

2. The newer T and R series are pretty comparable as far as specs go, but the T is a little sturdier and lighter, being designed for someone who travels with it a lot. I have a good friend with an R50 who is perfectly happy with it, but I do prefer the T series because it is a little lighter and has the rubber grip on the LCD backing.

3. I think they are pretty much the same. I noticed that they don't compare to my T30 for quality, but then again, they are trying to make the whole laptop as slim as possible, so I can understand it's hard to get good speakers in there.

4. I'm not impressed with Dell, even the Latitudes. Their lack of R&D dollars is evident in the lack of innovation in the models.

[K. Eng]

I think that the T and R series use many common internal components. The T series has some options for better CPU, Graphics, and Display, but all in all the major difference is the build materials and weight. The T series is sturdier and lighter.

[vjack]

I have also been comparing these models. Part of my confusion is coming from PCWorld giving the R51 a better rating than the T42 (see http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/ ... 580,00.asp). I was under the impression that the T series was supposed to be vastly superior to the R series, so I found this somewhat puzzling.

Other than size/weight, is there any compelling reason to go with the T over the R?

[K. Eng]

Other than durability, probably not, although some of the faster CPUs and graphics chips are on the T series only.

Other than size/weight, is there any compelling reason to go with the T over the R?

[pphilipko]

for the best bang of the buck...an R51 would be ideal, if you don't mind the plastic casing, that is.